Do You Have The Excuse Disease??

The number one reason you are not happy with yourself is because of something called "excuses". Believe me I have heard them all. People have told me they don't have the time, the money, the right shoes and I have even been told that they want to lose some weight before they start working out with me. I don't get it!

What I do know is that until you stop feeding yourself with all the reasons why you shouldn't do something it will never happen. Don't wait for tomorrow because it will never come. You will always be busy, believe me as the kids get older the schedule gets busier. There is never the perfect time to start eating right. There will always be BBQ's, birthday parties, work events and so on, so unless you decide to start now you will never start.

In December of last year I started to notice my left foot aching. I didn't really think anything of it, I more or less thought I was running too much so I adjusted my runs. In January when it started to get worse, I discovered that I had plantar fasciitis. I am still dealing with this. My physio says it takes a long time to recover from. I have been trying to do more traditional weight workouts instead of boot camp. I prefer the high intensity of boot camp, but at least I was still challenging my muscles.

Last Thursday while instructing a special boot camp for a team of fire fighters on the combat team (very fun workout) I rolled over on my ankle while demonstrating an exercise and sprained my left foot. Now I spent the next three days on crutches and all this week hobbling around.

I honestly was getting sick of resting (like I was told to do). I was feeling very "Blah" and needed to do something. On Wednesday it suddenly hit me, I had an epiphany. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner really. I decided since I now couldn't put any pressure, or very little pressure on my foot I would ride my bike to work. That way I would get a good cardio session in every day. Brilliant!

Well, the last time I rode a bike for any length of time was about 2 years ago, but I have the sham bike shorts and a really good padded seat so I should be good. It's about a 15-20 minute car ride so I gave myself 30 minutes to get there. I knew I wasn't going to be dilly dallying so I rode as hard as I could. I was only riding for oh less than 5 minutes and my legs were killing me!

I was surprised how quickly I got to work. It only took me 23 minutes. After 2 days of riding my bike I could barely sit down, my butt hurt to even sit on a cushion. But, I'm not giving up, I have made it a goal to ride my bike every day to work (except if its pouring rain).

My point to this epiphany is that I could have used my foot injuries to not continue exercising. That would have been easy. The pain, I should rest and so on and so on, but there are always excuses, so my request for today is to not let excuses take over who you want to be.

5 Tips To A Safe Bike Ride

1) Always wear a helmet. You may feel like you like an idiot but it could save your life. (If you are going to ride at night be sure to have a light on the front and back of your bike and wear reflective clothing.

2) Assume that cars don't see you. When approaching an intersection, don't assume they see you. Be sure to watch them and be cautious.

3) Look where you want to go. If you stare a pot hole that you want to avoid, you are going to hit it.

4) Get a quick tune up. If it's been awhile, it will be worth having someone take a look at your bike and make sure it is functioning properly.

5) Have I.D and some money with you. If you go farther than you plan it might come in handy if you need to stop and re-fuel with a drink or snack.

Enjoy your Victoria Monday holiday:)

Committed to your fitness success,

Kelly Parker
www.fitmommakeover.net